Xdzunúm Danae Trejo-Boles

“The teachers design the classes based on who is there, and how we interact with each other.”

What do you love about the Contemporary Dance program?

Every year of the program is very different. Because it’s a small group, they can really get to know you. They can ask you, “Where do you want to go? How are you going to shape your own practice? What is it that appeals to you about certain styles, or inspirations?” They make you reflect on your own influences and how to project those influences in your own way. How can I work with that material, instead of just reproducing it?

What are some memorable or interesting courses you’ve taken or professors you’ve had?

All of them! In our technique classes, we have a variety of teachers, most who are working professionals. It’s beautiful how we get to have workshops with a huge variety of people, and then watch their work as well. Our three core teachers, Michael Montanaro, Sylvie Raymond Panet and Angelique Willkie, are very different. People naturally gravitate toward one of them or the other, and that helps balance the groups. Having three different teachers for each class makes you work in ways that you’re not used to.

What are some of the highlights of your Concordia experience thus far?

The dance program hosts roundtables, where they will invite several artists. Those have been amazing. There’s usually a theme, and we sit in this space that’s half professionals conversing about their practices, and then us, the students, who are doing the same things but in school.

Studio 7 is a really fun event that happens on the last Friday of every month. It’s a student-run, student-curated show. Anybody can apply with a work in progress or a full work, and get feedback from the audience. It’s a very relaxed environment, you can just workshop or try something that you’ve been working on. It’s been great to see what other students are doing - in dance, theatre, or in music. It’s a really inspiring experience.

There are student-run dance jams and lighting workshops, and the Festival TransAmériques summer course. This course gives students the opportunity to have an immersive experience of the FTA festival: attending the talkbacks, rehearsals, roundtables, shows and having invited guest speakers and performers in class. It is a great complement to the dance program because we spend the year creating our own work, and in the summer we can break out of our bubble and watch shows from around the world.

I’ve also been active as an undergraduate Fellow at the Milieux Institute, a graduate research institute for art, culture and technology. Because a lot of the students there are Masters and PhD students, and it’s very stimulating to hear their conversations and be part of their events. Some of the workshops that I’ve been part of there have been life-changing for me.